Freedom, Fear, and the First Year Out: A.YoungDoctors.Journey on Locums Medicine

In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances sits down with Helena (A.YoungDoctors.Journey), an emergency medicine physician redefining what early attending life can look like.Fresh out of residency, she chose a path many physicians are warned against: full-time locum tenens work. What follows is an honest, nuanced conversation about autonomy, uncertainty, and what it means to build a career outside the traditional script.They unpack:The hidden fear of showing up online as a physicianWhy “freedom of time” became non-negotiableThe reality of 1099 vs W-2 (explained simply)Early attending insecurity—and why it’s universalThe myth that more years = better doctorTravel, money, and the unexpected perks of locumsAnd the deeper question: what are you choosing by staying where you are?This is not a pitch for leaving medicine—or for locums.It’s a conversation about choice, agency, and expanding what feels possible.Because the goal isn’t one path.It’s knowing you have options.A.YoungDoctors.Journey is an emergency medicine physician and recent residency graduate, and spends far too much of her free time posting about life in medicine on social media. She completed medical school in Budapest and matched as a US-IMG. Currently, she’s doing locum tenens full-time and is learning how to navigate finances, entrepreneurship and attending life as a 1099 contractor.Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MDGuest: A.YoungDoctors.JourneyConnect with Helena: @a.youngdoctors.journey www.ayoungdoctorsjourney.comPresented by: The Hippocratic CollectiveFollow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimdAnd subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.